Journal Response #2 (Poetry)

Which of the poems had the most meaning for you personally?

            I think the poem that had the most meaning to me was “I am from Swing sets and Jungle gyms” by Debby Gordon. You can tell that she has tried to portray her childhood in a way that other people can relate – and it works too! I remember eating rice krispie squares, climbing jungle gyms and trees, and telling my friends to be quiet because I was talking. However, my favourite lines of this poem are the last three:  I am from the people who paved a way for me, I am from the best that could be, and I am the best I could be. These hold the deepest meaning of the poem because she is thanking all the people who have helped her become the best person she could possibly be today.

           

            The poem “Alone” by Maya Angelou comes in a close second. It reminds me of the times where I feel like there is nowhere to turn to and no one who could possibly understand what I am going through. “Richard Cory” by E.A. Robinson was a little harder to relate to because I have never been wealthy or lived a lifestyle even remotely close to his. I can only imagine how hard it is to have many people looking up to you and the amount of pressure that surrounds you.

What thoughts and/or feelings did the texts evoke in you? Why?

The two “I Am” poems (“I am from Swing Sets and Jungle Gyms” by Debby Gordon, and “I am From…” by Oretha Storey) both remind me of my childhood years and how innocent and happy I was to just be alive. These poems make me smile and reminisce about the “good ole’ days.” I wonder what it was like to be a child: carefree and without responsibilities, because currently there is a lot of pressure on me to do well in school, sports, etc…

The poem “Alone” and “Robert Cory” drags me back to times where I was unhappy in my life. Reading the poem “Alone”makes me feel abandoned and depressed. The one line that really gets to me is “the race of man is suffering” because the first stanzas made the poem feel more centralized around the writer. However, when she mentions the race of man, it makes me feel like she is not only talking about how she is feeling alone, but also how the race of man is alone in the universe. “Robert Cory” also makes me very sad, because I cannot imagine what the poor man is going through. He is misunderstood by his peers: everyone thinks both he and his life are amazing but in reality, he is suicidal.